PHOTO GALLERY (16)

Dispatch: Jeep News and Jeep Rumors

1.

Jeep News & Rumors

•One billion dollars. That’s what Fiat Chrysler is spending to modernize its Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michigan and Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio. Why? To build the new Jeep pickup, Jeep Wagoneer, and—yes, it’s back—the Grand Wagoneer.
•And those two Wagoneers are likely to have body-on-frame construction.
•Also, is the plan for the Toledo plant to churn out 300,000 Wranglers annually?
•Expect the outgoing Wrangler and incoming Wrangler to be sold at the same time—briefly.
•And you might plan on expecting the two models to possibly look identical on the outside.
•The next Grand Cherokee looks like it will end up with the Alfa Romeo Giulia platform.
•’17 Compass MK or ’17 Compass MP? Decisions.
•Is K8 the designation of a three-row hybrid Jeep not coming to North America, but probably Asia (there first, at least)?
•Five stars go to the ’17 Grand Cherokee, the highest number of star ratings NHTSA gives related to its crash tests.
•India, the Compass is coming for you later this year.

2.

Industry News

•We were sad to hear of the passing of off-road legend, Casey Folks, whose legacy will include founding the Best in the Desert racing series. He was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2012.
•The General Tire Jeepspeed series in 2017 will be presented by KMC Wheels, and more than $50,000 and product awards are on tap. Learn more at jeepspeed.com.
•707hp Hellcat Hemi Wrangler? Check out dakota-customs.com.
•How can it be 80 years already? Well, it has been, and the aforementioned old man is Mopar, or how it hipster’d the words “motor parts” back in 1937.
•XPEL is an official sponsor of the Jeep Jamboree USA. XPEL offers hi-po paint and headlamp protection film. You may also know of the company’s “self-healing” film. Read up at xpel.com, or check out the Jamboree’s schedule at jeepjamboreeusa.com.

3.

Auto Graphs

•“Puffing”? You might be doing it without knowing it. A bunch of states have made it illegal to puff, aka leave your vehicle running and unlocked (like to warm it up on a cold day before you drive it), according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which made PSAs about the subject, including this one at youtu.be/29SgMBcYeNA.
•While you’re spending time not working and instead watching videos, also check out the one the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation made to help Pennsylvanians deal with driving the new roundabouts: youtube.com/pennsylvaniadot.
•Senate Bill 995: It’s now legal to operate autonomous vehicles on Michigan roads that were previously just for testing done by manufacturers.
•The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has a stat that ought to freak you out: If you miss one or two hours of the recommended seven hours of sleep over a 24-hour period, the risk of being involved in a crash doubles.
•Voluntary guidelines from NHTSA have been drafted for helping with driver distraction, which include hinting to manufacturers to add specific features related to this problem, such as pairing the portable device to the vehicle’s infotainment system. You can read about the phases of the process at bit.ly/2kStRNS.
•New national monuments in the U.S. are Bears Ears, which will protect more than a million acres in southeast Utah, and Gold Butte, which will preserve about 300,000 in southwest Nevada.
•Bummer: The Walter P. Chrysler Museum near Detroit has closed. It opened in 1999 and had about 65 vehicles (and other historical items), which will hopefully end up at Fiat Chrysler locales.

4.

“Police In Burlington Co. Searching For Naked, Hairy Man In Jeep”—Contender for best headline in 2017, courtesy of CBS Philadelphia

5.

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued a notice of violation to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. and FCA US LLC (collectively FCA) for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act for installing and failing to disclose engine management software in light-duty model year 2014, 2015 and 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks with 3.0 liter diesel engines sold in the United States. The undisclosed software results in increased emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the vehicles. The allegations cover roughly 104,000 vehicles. EPA is working in coordination with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which has also issued a notice of violation to FCA. EPA and CARB have both initiated investigations based on FCA’s alleged actions.”—Statement from the EPA, regarding Fiat Chrysler and about having potentially Volkswagen’d

6.

(As Seen on Jp’s Facebook Page)

7.

Instagram Watch

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8.

Where Do You Read Jp Magazine?

The million-dollar (not really) question? Where do you read Jp? Bill Wilson from Albertville, Alabama, said the truck bay is his late-night reading spot at the firehouse on Redstone Arsenal. This was taken during his 48-hour shift. “The chair I'm sitting in is an aircraft ejection seat,” he says.

Now, where do you read Jp magazine? Well, if you read it in a unique or cool location, we want to see a photo of that. And don’t bother with a toilet photo, please. The photo should show you, the magazine, and the location, all in one. Email the photo and information about you to jpeditor@jpmagazine.com with the subject line “Jp on Location.” Show and tell! Answer these questions for us in your email:
Your name
Where you’re from
Where the photo was taken
What you’re doing/why you’re at that location
Photo requirements are JPG (maximum quality), BMP, or TIFF file.
And 1,600 by 1,200 pixels or around 2 megapixels (the original size from your phone/device). It probably goes without saying that your copy of Jp magazine should be seen with you in the photo.

9.

We Need Your Stuck or Broken or Military Jeep!

We want your Jeep for our Sideways department! Here are ways you can get your Jeep in in Jp Magazine!
Your broken parts or broken Jeep: Did you have an epic snap, blow-up, or breakage? How about an insane trail repair? Photo or it didn’t happen.
Stuck/Flopped/Rollover: Send us your four-wheeling mess.
Vintage and Military Jeep: We like old-timey and military things, like with your father or grandfather, or even modern service.
Jeep Road Trip: A photo from your best road trip that took place in a Jeep. The Jeep needs to be in the photo in a landmark location. Like the Travelocity gnome.

Follow this format:
Your name and your city/state:
Year/make/model of your Jeep/military Jeep:
Where the photo took place:
Describe what we are seeing in the photo/other info we may need to know:
Why the photo means a lot to you/lesson learned/your takeaway:

In addition to the words, here are the photo requirements:
--JPG (maximum quality), BMP, or TIFF file.
--1,600 by 1,200 pixels or around 2 megapixels (the original size from your phone/device).
--No PDFs or other formats. We just can’t use them in the magazine. They won’t reprint.
--Email the materials to jpeditor@jpmagazine.com with the subject line “Sideways.”

10.

Where the Jeeps Are

Have an event? Let us know! Remember the magazine needs about four months of advance warning. Just follow these steps:
Name of event:
Date(s) of event:
City/State of event:
Name of venue (if applicable):
Website for readers to learn more about your event:
Why your event is cool in five words or less:
Have a high-resolution photo from a previous event? Feel free to send it to us and we might just include it.
Send the info and photo to: jpeditor@jpmagazine.com
Make your subject line: Where the Jeeps Are

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